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By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Springfield, MO — In an early-season matchup of area heavyweights, Rogersville junior Birdie Hendrickson showcased plenty of knockout power.
The University of Florida commit punctuated a late, 8-1 rally in the third and final set with a pair of thunderous kills to seal the Lady Wildcats’ victory over Kickapoo 25-22, 24-26 and 25-17.
Hendrickson led the Rogersville attack from multiple fronts, finishing with a team-high 12 kills and 15 digs.
“I know Kickapoo has a really good front-row block,” Hendrickson said. “I kept thinking just stay aggressive and don’t tip. Keep hitting, keep swinging, keep connecting with our setters and keep playing hard.”
While Hendrickson’s net play helped close out the match, Rogersville’s third-set push was spearheaded by strong service games from junior Claire Taylor and senior Allie Gipson.
Taylor, in particular, provided a spark when the Lady Wildcats needed it most.
Trailing 13-11, the Drury University commit rotated to the service line after a timely kill at the net.
Rogersville rattled off the next five points in a row with a burst featuring back-to-back aces.
“I’m just thinking about getting my serve over and being aggressive,” Taylor said. “Set a smart set, keep pushing and don’t give up.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Not a bad mantra to have, especially after sitting out an entire year with an ACL tear, according to Rogersville head coach Tammy Miller.
“[Taylor] really hasn’t played for us in two years, and you never know what a kid’s going to do under pressure,” Miller said. “She handled herself extremely well and served aggressively, yet still getting them in.”
Taylor led Rogersville with a match-high 14 assists.
While the Lady Wildcats’ play was a bit inconsistent, Miller was pleased with her team’s overall effort.
“We played in spurts,” Miller said. “If we can clean up some things — our serve-receive has got to get better and our defense has to get better — it’s just the little things. Even though we were creating errors, I felt like they pushed together as a team and not a bunch of individuals.”
Despite the loss, Kickapoo head coach Marci Johnson also found plenty of positives within the matchup. After dropping the first set, the Lady Chiefs rallied in the second to square the match up and set the stage for the late fireworks.
“I liked that our big plays were big, and our weaker plays will improve quickly,” Johnson said. “With a team like Rogersville, they’re going to keep coming at you. You’ve got to bring the next ball, and if you want it, you’ve got to fight for it. We’ve got the players, we’ve got the skill and we can make some of those big plays to get us over the hump.”
Junior Tayte Kozlowski led Kickapoo with eight kills and nine assists.
Up next for Rogersville (2-0) is a Thursday, Aug. 30, home game against Mountain Grove. Kickapoo (2-4) hosts Republic that same evening.
Varsity final: Rogersville – 2, Kickapoo – 1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-17)
JV final: Kickapoo – 2, Rogersville – 0 (25-15, 25-16)
Frosh final: Kickapoo – 2, Rogersville – 1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-20)
